


Outside Looking In

by yurimaxwell



Category: Cardcaptor Sakura
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:35:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25145548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yurimaxwell/pseuds/yurimaxwell
Summary: Eriol needed inspiration and Tomoyo just happened to move in next door. Two people who have always watched from the sidelines, never part of the world they have always observed. A writer who could read other people like a book and a songbird that had always been trapped in her gilded cage. Will anything happen if you're always on the outside looking in?ExT AU with a side of SxS
Relationships: Eriol Hiiragizawa/Daidouji Tomoyo, Kinomoto Sakura/Li Syaoran
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	1. The Writer

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own CCS or the lovely characters.

Eriol Hiiragizawa stared at the flashing cursor on his screen. He would type a few words, sigh, then delete everything. The muses were not smiling at him now. In fact it felt like they despised him for some reason. It had been weeks since he had an inspiration. His writer's block was beginning to feel like a writer's mountain. His deadline was looming closer and he still did not have an idea for his next story. His long suffering editor had been calling him almost every day now to check if he would be able to make his deadline. 

It was fortunate that he did not depend solely on writing stories for a living. If that were the case, he would've been homeless years ago. Still, the story-writing gig helped towards augmenting the income he got from writing academic journals and teaching the occasional classes at the local university. And he did enjoy it too, even more than writing his "more serious work", especially when the story started flowing. Getting it to start had always been the problem.

He stood up and approached the picture windows that lined one side of his apartment. He didn’t really have a view since there was another apartment right across his, only separated by a small courtyard where tenants would usually hang out. Some would say there was a serious lack of planning when the apartment was constructed. But it all worked out for him. He liked to watch people come and go and would weave stories in his head about who they are and where they are going. This was how most of his stories started, rough ideas that would somehow take on a life of its own. Sometimes, one of the tenants from the other building would leave their curtains or blinds open and he would get a glimpse of their lives. The apartment directly across from his used to be home to a seventy year old obaasan (grandma) and her two cats. She would wave to him every morning and would always keep the window across where he had his near his desk open so he could see her cats sunning themselves. It tickled her fancy that he was a writer and that he would sometimes add her cats into his stories. Sadly, she had moved away last winter to be closer to her daughter. He didn’t really have a lot of friends or family nearby, so in a way he missed having her near.

He picked up his phone and dialled his best friend’s number. Sakura Kinomoto worked at the cafe on the ground floor. They had been seatmates in first grade and had been good friends ever since.

“Hey, Sakura.”

“Hi Eriol, what’s up?”

“Is it a busy day today?”

“Pretty slow actually. Your usual spot is free at the moment if you want to people-watch,” she said cheerfully. 

“I’ll be right down.”

* * *

Eriol waved at Sakura before sitting near one of the corner windows. It gave him a great view of the courtyard and the main road. She gave a sigh as she sat across from him.

“On your feet too long?”

“Yeah. We’re one man down so I am also helping in the kitchen. Good thing it’s not so busy. How’s your new story?”

“Stuck. I need something to happen.” 

“Looks like you got your wish.” she said, standing up as a customer came in the door. “Moving van,” she added before she walked away. 

Eriol craned his neck to catch a glimpse of men with moving boxes. He wondered what the new tenant would look like. Or maybe it was a family? Come to think of it, he had never written about a family. Not that he'd have a lot to write about in case he did. His parents died from a car accident when he was in junior high and he was an only child. The closest family he had was a second cousin ten years his senior who was based somewhere in London. He'd only met Clow Reed once, during his parent's funeral. He was appointed his legal guardian and he stayed only long enough to make arrangements for his upkeep. Nowadays, he only heard from Clow or his representatives once a year - probably to check if he was still alive.

Or maybe the new tenants were a couple - newly married and expecting their first child. They moved here because the father was a professor and would be working at the university. They also had a cat, a ginger tabby who liked to bask in the sun. 

Eriol chuckled. He was already getting ahead of himself. He wasn’t even sure if he’ll get a chance to see the new…

Blue eyes widened as a long dark haired beauty approached one of the movers. She was just dressed in an oversized jumper and jeans but had an aura of someone about to walk down a runway. She was stunning.

His hands pulled open his laptop and his hands started moving as if possessed. His muse has finally arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea if the apartment Eriol lives in actually exists in Japan. I just got the idea when I saw the picture windows in an old music video for the song "We Could Be In Love". Since this is AU, let's just pretend, shall we?


	2. His Muse

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Amber eyes searched her face worriedly.

“Nope, I’m all good.”

“Can I at least drop you off?”

“Nope! You have a meeting across town. There is no way you can drop me off and be there in time,” there was a hint of annoyance in the usually sweet voice. 

“But…”

“Stop whining Syao-kun. You know very well that’s never worked on me. You’ve already helped me look for a place. You’ve even helped me with all the logistics for the move. You had a cleaning service come in to make sure everything's ready for today. Now, it’s my turn. Okay?”

“Alright.” Syaoran Li said resignedly. “But you will message me as soon as you get there. And will call me if there are any problems.”

“I promise!”

“I had the blinds installed yesterday. Make sure you keep them closed. We don't want peeping toms to know that you live on your own.”

“Yes dad.” Tomoyo laughed as he glared at her in annoyance. “Stop worrying. I promise I’ll be alright. I have to go, ok?”

He nodded before pulling in Tomoyo for a quick hug. He then gave her a smile before helping her into the waiting car. She waved enthusiastically at him as the car moved away.

He really hoped he wouldn't regret agreeing to Tomoyo’s plans. He'd been dragged into a number of them over the years. But knowing his best friend, she would have pushed on with it, with or without his approval. It was better if he helped her out so he can ensure that she wasn't running blindly into things.

He’ll just check in on her again, maybe drop in unannounced later tonight. That should make him feel better about this move.

* * *

Tomoyo chuckled as she settled into her seat. She finally got rid of Syaoran and his hovering. He can be such a mother-hen sometimes. Part of her understood his concern. He was the only one who knew about her decision to move out. As far as she's concerned, he was the only one who needed to know.

It did not keep him from yelling and arguing with her the whole time. He eventually gave in when he saw that it was something she really wanted.

Syaoran Li may be a hard nosed businessman and all around tough guy, but she knew that behind the prickliness is a sweet core. They had known each other since they were infants and had been thrown together more times than she could count. He was her best friend and she was his, no matter what he said. She owed him big time for helping her out. He had always been someone she could count on, and this time was no exception.

Soon the car pulled up at a mid rise apartment complex. There was a quaint courtyard in between two identical structures. Twin towers that were not towers. Tomoyo chuckled as she stepped out on the curb. She waved at the driver and as if timed perfectly, a moving van pulled up in its place.

“Miss Daidouji?” a middle aged man with a clipboard approached her tentatively.

She nodded, flashing him a smile. Time to start her new life.


	3. The Beginning of Something

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Section in italics is Eriol's story. Yes, a story within a story. As if writing one is not hard enough :sweatdrops:

_He had known from an early age that he was different. He had always seen things no one else saw. At first he tried to make sense of it, tried to make others understand. But then he saw the fear in their eyes. It was not normal to see things that weren't there. And so he had learned to adjust, learned to pretend that he was as normal as everyone else. He had learned to school his features and hold a mask up to the world. It was a difficult existence, but necessary. He can’t afford to be more isolated than he already was. He lived alone in a country manor, with only hired help as companions. Both his parents were overseas on business and he had been left in the care of an eccentric aunt that he rarely saw. He had been home-schooled all his life and had very little chance to interact with people his own age._

_The first time he saw her was not especially remarkable. She was seated under a tree, skirt spread around her, her sewing in her lap. She was beautiful, ethereal even, with her long dark hair and pale skin. But he knew she was one of **them**. She wasn’t really there. _

_Usually it was their clothes that gave it away. It was either too formal, old-fashioned or belonged to a different era altogether. Sometimes it was the feeling of looking at a scene from a flashback or an old photograph. The scene would be a bit blurred or out of focus. It would always be accompanied by a humming in the air that he couldn't explain but somehow knew was there._

_But then he had seen her again after that. That in itself was unusual. He rarely saw the same vision twice, and never with the same regularity. She would always be under the tree at the same time everyday, her head bent, focused on her sewing. She would sit there until a little before sundown, after which she would pack everything back into her basket and disappear from sight. After the third instance, he found himself spending every afternoon sitting on the stone bench directly across from where she sat, a book or a sketchpad in hand, eyes glancing at her every now and then. She made a wonderful subject for his art, regardless of the medium.  
_

_It was almost a month after when the impossible happened. He glanced up and saw surprised purple eyes looking back at him._

* * *

  
“I see you've finally started your new story.” Sakura announced cheerfully even before he could say hello. “And the heroine looks awfully familiar,” she teased.

“I don’t know why you’re still pointing this out. You know my methods.” Eriol grumbled.

“Well, we had a customer with dark hair and purple eyes order tea earlier today. I told her I knew the author of the story she was reading.”

“You what?!? What did she say?”

“She said that the story was interesting and she wanted to know if you had any other works I could recommend while she waits for the next installment. I told her you were a regular contributor and to look up the one about the water mage, which was my personal favorite.

"Are you sure that was the best one to recommend? Maybe you should recommend some of my more serious works." Eriol's hair was now standing every which way as he continued to nervously tug at his dark mane.

"No one wants to read your other stuff. Unless you're old. Or need extra credit. You don't even like writing it." Sakura chuckled. "Don't worry too much Eriol. I have a feeling she'd like anything of yours. At least the fictional ones. And if she doesn't it doesn't mean you don't stand a chance."

"I don't like her in THAT way!"

"See? You're pretty good at fiction."

"Sakura!"

"Alright, I'll leave you be. Here's your coffee." she flashed him a smile before attending to another customer. He grabbed the cup and walked over to his favorite table by the window. He propped open his laptop and continued writing. 


	4. Reaching Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Section in italics is Eriol's story. Whiteboard exchange also in italics. Hope I don't confuse anyone.
> 
> The giraffe was inspired by Patty Thompson. Lol.

_He lifted a hand in greeting, not really expecting a response. He didn’t understand what was happening but he could've sworn that she was able to see him too. His eyes widened in surprise when she nodded and smiled back tentatively. She could see him too!_

_He looked down at his sketchpad and hastily scribbled._

_My name is Eli._

_She tilted her head briefly before rummaging inside her basket to retrieve a pen and a purple notebook._

_My name is Madison._

* * *

  
Tomoyo smiled as she took a sip of her tea. She could picture Eli and Madison in her head, smiling shyly at each other as they exchanged names. It was the start of something new.

She looked around her, sighing contentedly. This apartment was her new beginning. Sure, it was very different, not to mention much smaller from what she was used to, but she had everything she needed. There was a small sitting/living area that opened up to a well lit cheerful looking kitchen. She had a small kitchen counter that separated the kitchen from her dining area, which was really just a two-seater (maybe three) dining table pushed against a huge picture window. It was the window that made her fall in love with the place. Aside from natural light, there was something very appealing about sitting by the window in the mornings, looking at her world, as she sipped her tea. The view, if it can be called that, was interesting. It was like she had a collection of curiosities hiding behind blinds or curtains. She can’t wait for each one to open and for her to discover what lies on the other side. Now it made sense why obsessively private Syaoran insisted on blinds before she moved in. Without it, one got a good peek at what's happening in the apartments across.

She took another leisurely sip and noticed that there was movement in the apartment directly across hers. Looks like her first tableau of the day was about to unfold. The blinds revealed a bleary eyed man who was furiously rubbing at his glasses with a piece of cloth. His window looked into his living area, and he had a writing desk pushed against the wall, much like how her dining table was set up. He sat down, slipped the much abused glasses on his nose then proceeded to run his fingers through his already unruly dark hair until it stood every which way. He then propped his chin on one hand and pomptly went back to sleep. He looked to be about her age, she thought. But definitely, not a morning person. Or maybe he just needed coffee?

After a few minutes, he suddenly shook his head vigorously and proceeded to open his eyes, freezing in place when he finally realized that blinds from the window directly across his was open and that whoever lived in the apartment was watching him with amusement. 

Tomoyo smiled and lifted her cup in greeting as their eyes met. He just continued to stare at her, making Tomoyo laugh. She then grabbed the whiteboard that she had near the counter and quickly wrote down, **_Good morning!_** She then held it up for him to read. 

His eyes widened in surprise and he started looking around frantically before finally standing up and disappearing from view. He returned with a bright yellow children's drawing board that had a green and brown giraffe painted on one side and the words **_Hi!_** written in big block letters. 

Tomoyo laughed, quickly writing down, _**How old are you, 6?**_

He flashed her a sheepish grin. _**A friend gave it to me. I'm 22.**_

_**You have interesting friends.**_ Tomoyo wrote back.

He shrugged and lifted his board again. 

_**I’m Eriol.** _

She flashed him another smile.

_**I’m Tomoyo. Nice to meet you.** _

* * *

  
Eriol jumped out of bed, grabbed his whiteboard and almost ran to the living room. He stood in front of the picture window to take a deep breath to calm himself, before pulling up the blinds. She was already seated by the window, sipping from a dainty looking cup. He hastily put up his whiteboard for her to read.

_**Good morning!** _

Tomoyo returned his greeting and quickly started writing again. _**You seem more awake today.**_

Of course, she’s known him one day and she’s already teasing him. As if he did not already have Sakura for that.

_**Got more sleep last night?**_ he lied, not really wanting to admit that he barely slept, trying to think of things to say to her other than good morning. Not that it did any good since he was still as tongue-tied (can he call it tongue-tied if he was writing it down?) as he was yesterday. He still can’t believe that his muse was the one who moved into obaasan’s old place. He did not know if the gods that be were smiling at him or making fun of him.

_**Well, more awake but still barely there.**_ She was laughing again. At least he was making her laugh?

_**I’m grabbing coffee at the cafe.**_ Why was he telling her this?

_**Is that a statement or an invitation?**_ She was still smiling. Looks like he hasn’t done anything stupid… yet. 

_**Both. Meet me there?** _He did not know where he got the courage, but he was crossing all fingers… and toes.

_**Sure. See ya!**_

Eriol took a deep breath as he grabbed his wallet and keys. Here goes nothing...


	5. Drawing Near

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Section in italics is part of Eriol's story.

_Eli ran almost all the way to their tree. His days started at the crack of dawn and were usually spent buried in correspondence. There were the missives sent by the college he was affiliated and inquiries into the business he owned with his cousins. He would also need to address any concerns raised by the house staff or his tenants. He tried to clear everything as early as possible so his afternoons were free to spend with Madison. It took him longer than usual today and he was almost desperate to see her again._

_Madison lived in a time and place that was different from his. He knew she was from an earlier time. But discreet inquiries made of the time she would have been alive did not yield any information about Madison Taylor. It’s possible she did not exist in his world and yet he continued to ask around, hoping against hope that he would find any information about her. Only a week has passed since their eyes met. He had seen her everyday since then, always with her basket that contained her project of the day. They would try to communicate by exchanging notes. But most of the time, they would sit companionably, Eli with his sketchpad and Madison with her sewing._

_Eli felt his heart skip a beat when he was close enough to see her. She had a long white cloth on her lap and was sewing something along the edges. He took a deep steadying breath and smiled at her as he came up. She returned the smile, waiting for him to sit down._

_Eli opened his sketchpad to the page where he usually wrote his messages to her._

**_What are you working on?_ **

**_A dress._ **

**_That's going to be a lot of work._ **

**_Yes. It will be._ **

_Eli frowned. There wasn't anything sad about their topic but for some reason, he suddenly felt a heaviness in the air. Madison kept her head down and continued working on the little flowers she was embroidering. It looked like painstaking work, but Madison seemed like the type to enjoy the artistry that went into her craft. Was he being a pain? Eli was about to ask when he heard… was it singing?_

_He looked around, expecting to see someone nearby. But it was just him and Madison in the clearing. He strained his ear to hear when he realized that the volume of the song was slowly increasing, much like how footsteps sounded as one got closer. He could now identify a line here and there. Something about a love that could never be. By the time she hit the chorus, he knew, Madison was the one singing._ _He stared at her in shock. He had never heard anyone from the other side and he did not understand why he could suddenly do it now. There was no denying now that he could hear her. No matter the reason, he was grateful.._

_"Madison…" he said tentatively. Did the sound go both ways? Did he need to speak louder?  
_

_He saw her stiffen and look up at him, eyes wide. It looks like she could hear him too. Perfect._

_"Eli?" she whispered, as he nodded enthusiastically in response._

_"Yes. I don't know how. But I can hear you now. And you can hear me. You have such a lovely voice."_

_"I like your voice too." she replied, blushing._

_"Can you sing for me again?"_

_Madison blushed again in response but nodded before continuing to sing._

* * *

Eriol took a deep breath before opening the cafe doors. Tomoyo was already seated and Sakura was taking her order. He almost wanted to back out. Knowing Sakura, he won't get out of this situation without embarrassing himself.

“There he is," he heard Sakura say as he approached them.

Tomoyo smiled at him in greeting as he slid on the seat across from hers. "Sakura tells me you’re actually E.H., the writer! So nice to meet you!”

Eriol went pale before turning bright red, making Sakura laugh.

“Er.. yeah. Eriol Hiiragizawa.”

“I’ll go get your muffin Tomoyo. Your usual coffee for you Eriol?” Sakura said, winking at her best friend. Eriol just nodded and Sakura gave another laugh before walking away.

“Sorry about that.” Eriol mumbled, internally cursing interfering best friends and socially inept writers.

“She saw me reading your work and she was nice enough to mention that you lived nearby. I'm still surprised that Mr. Giraffe and E.H. are one and the same," she laughed and Eriol winced at the nickname.

"She was actually the one who gave it to me." Eriol pouted, earning another laugh from Tomoyo.

"Well, it looks like we've got a lot to thank Sakura for. Is she your..."

"Friend." Eriol said quickly, wincing as Tomoyo gave him another laugh.

"Best friend." Sakura corrected as she handed them their orders. "We've known each other since we were kids. And no, I don't have and will never have unrequited feelings for him."

Eriol nearly choked on his coffee as the two girls giggled. Sakura then blew him a kiss before finally leaving them alone.

"I love her! I am so glad I met her." Tomoyo smiled at him mischievously. "And you too, of course."

"I'm glad you remembered me." Eriol said glumly, making Tomoyo erupt in another fit of giggles before trying to compose herself.

"I've never met a writer before. Is it terribly hard? You must have fans approaching you at all times."

“Err, not really. Not a lot of people know who I am. It's just my editor, Sakura, and now you.”

“Oh. I promise not to tell anyone else!” 

“Thanks. And to answer your question, it really depends. When it flows, it flows. I can sometimes finish multiple chapters in one go. Other times, it's like extracting a tooth.”

"Is it hard to write Eli and Madison's story?"

"It took me a while to get started. But now it's easier."

"I can't wait to find out what happens next!"

Same here. Eriol thought. Same here.


	6. The Villain?

_Madison laughed softly as Eli entertained her with stories of his childhood. He was an only child and grew up mostly with hired help. This meant that he was mostly left to his own devices, and there was a lot of mischief a young inquisitive child can get into. He also told her of adventures with his cousin Ruby, who would visit him for extended periods if time, and how they would manage to con their their tutor, a Mr. Spinel to let them out of class early. The elderly gentleman loved sweets and Ruby would exploit this by convincing him to cut their lessons short, in exchange for baskets of pastries._

_Her own childhood was very similar to his. She lost her parents at an early age and her brother, who was fifteen years older, preferred to stay in their city home. She was practically raised by the household staff, until last year, when her brother began taking notice of her again. Being left alone suited her perfectly because her brother had quite the temper, especially after he’d had one too many drinks. It had never been directed at her, but she had always been wary, especially after observing the aftermath of one of his fits. Everyone walked on eggshells around him.  
_

_She was not lonely, even if she was always alone. Her days were full of the work she loved, finding pleasure in sewing and creating things with her hands. She had people around her who cared about her. And yet, meeting Eli showed her what she was missing. She never really had a friend who was her age. And she never had anyone to just spend time with. She was fascinated with him, with his stories, with his hands. She was in awe of how talented they were, of how they moved across the white sheets of paper he always had with him. He opened a whole new world to her and she can’t get enough. Time spent with him was always the highlight of her day, and she secretly pleaded for time to slow and the sun to not go down so they could continue to sit beside each other._

_“Where is she?!?” The booming voice of her brother carried across the field and startled her from her thoughts. Madison knew that tone never boded well._

_“Madison? What’s wrong?” Eli said in alarm as she began packing her things in her basket. Looks like the only thing he can hear from her side is her voice. And for that, she is grateful.  
_

_“I have to go. I’m not sure if I will be here tomorrow, but I will try,” she said hastily, before walking away. She did not dare look back, knowing that doing so would make it harder to leave. It was also safer to act like she was alone. It would keep questions at a minimum in case there were eyes on her.  
_

_"Wait! Madison!"_

_Madison continued to walk away as if she did not hear him._

_"I'm sorry Eli..." she whispered, knowing he would not be able to hear, but hoping that he would somehow understand._

* * *

Sakura eyed the man who walked, no, sauntered into the cafe, looking like a GQ model. He definitely did not look like any of their regulars. Their patrons went about mostly in jeans, or a weird mix of work out and sleep clothes. She can’t even remember the last time she saw someone in a suit outside of a wedding.

His eyes quickly glanced at the lighted display that housed the cakes and other pastries before scanning the rest of the room and deciding to settle into one of the tables. Sakura grabbed the laminated menu from the counter and made her way to him.

"Hi, I'm Sakura. Is this your first time here at Piffle Cafe?" she said brightly, as she handed over the menu.

She only got nod and an emotionless look in return. After a brief glance at the menu, he announced in a gruff voice that he wanted hot chocolate. He then pulled out a sleek looking laptop from his expensive looking leather bag and proceeded to ignore her.

 _I guess I'm dismissed_ , Sakura thought, as she walked back to the counter. 

"Hey Sakura!" Tomoyo greeted with a smile as she walked in. Sakura gave her a wave, hand stopping in mid-air when Tomoyo sat in front of Mr. GQ and proceeded to push his laptop away.

"What are you having?" Sakura asked as she walked towards them, trying her best not to betray the curiosity she felt.

"Chocolate cake please." Tomoyo said. "That should put Mr. Grumpy in a better mood." she added, winking at the man.

"Actually, he already ordered hot chocolate."

"Oh, believe me, more chocolate won't hurt," Tomoyo laughed. "Stop pouting Syao-kun. This is my friend, Sakura Kinomoto."

Syaoran held out his hand to shake hers.

"Syaoran Li, Tomoyo's fiance."


End file.
